Duane Harden just doesn’t teach you theory but rather you learn through his very own life hands-on experiences that come along with building a strong portfolio of successful businesses, including residential and commercial real estate, a restaurant, a music company, and many more. He began with no financial education, but he was determined and inspired. Today he leads a Cash Flow Club where he mentors entrepreneurs on how to start and grow their business so they, too, can become financially free.His latest book is 5 Easy Steps to Financial Freedom: Do What You Love & Get Rich Doing It.

Ideas take on a life of their own and you’ve come up with some really great ones especially on how to make money and get out of debt. However, you and your accomplices are so use to committing murder you don’t realize when you’re doing it. As soon as an idea starts to take shape in your mind like an embryo in it’s mother’s womb, you use your ninja style tactics to kill it rather than putting your talents to better use.

Here are the top 5 ways you’ve been trained as a “lethal weapon”:

#5 – Other peoples failures. When I was opening my restaurant, I asked a fellow restaurateur who had just filed bankruptcy if I could take her out to lunch to discuss her experience. She replied “of course” as long as I was willing to pay her a consultant fee. Obviously, she thought I considered her an expert at opening and running a restaurant so much so that I would pay her for her advice. I was only interested in learning what not to do. Needless to say, that lunch date never happened as her response totally let me know why she was out of business. I then thought about other people in my network who were restaurant owners. When I asked them about their experience the biggest piece of advice they could give me was “don’t go into the restaurant business”. Just because they were not successful in running their business doesn’t mean that I would suffer the same fate. If I had listened to them I would have never opened. Take advice from mentors who have been successful in the business you want to open as well as listen to mentors who have failed miserably so you can learn from their mistakes.

#4 – Co-workers. You’re co-workers are probably just as miserable at their job as you are. They don’t see a way out and how dare you think you can come up with the answer to creating a better life. So remember this when you’re sharing your idea with them around the office water cooler. Don’t let your enthusiasm wither way with their negative comments after you’ve shared with them how you’re going to escape from Alcatraz. Their reactions are coming from the fact that you’re getting out and leaving them behind. Let their bad advice go in one ear and out the other.

#3 – Friends. Who needs enemies when you have friends like these? Seriously, the friends who don’t support you in your ideas are still your friends. It’s just that they love you so much they don’t want to see you get hurt. Let them know that you really do appreciate their concern and just want a listening ear. They don’t have to understand what it is you want to do. Just be there for you. When I first started in real estate investing, I had some friends who were skeptical when I would say I was buying a house with 100% financing. They just didn’t understand the concept. I then realized that I had friends who were great for hanging out with and partying and another set of friends whom I could have intellectual conversations with or discuss business ideas. They were all great friends I just had to figure out which bucket they fit into and tailor my conversations accordingly.

#2 – Family – I lead a Rich Dad, Poor Dad Cash Flow Club in Manhattan. I often hear members say that their family doesn’t support them in their ideas. That’s because they’ve seen you try so many before and failed. It’s not that they don’t support you but rather react like your friends do. They love you so much they don’t want to see you hurt again. Just remember when responding to their reactions that most successful people are successful because they’ve gotten pretty good at failing.

#1 – You – You are your #1 Killer of ideas. You allow your negative thoughts as well as those of others persuade you that your idea just won’t work. You quit before you can ever get started. The moment you realize that all things are possible you’ll stop committing murder and letting your ideas come alive.

In my book “5 Easy Steps To Financial Freedom: Do What You Love & Get Rich Doing It” I teach you how to identify your idea killers by taking you through my “crabs in a pot” exercise. I also show you ways to turn every negative into a positive so instead of being stopped you are propelled to pursue your dreams. Stop killing ideas as you’ve been doing it long enough. It’s time to learn to live.

Are you unhappy in your job? Are you tired of living paycheck to paycheck and feel like you just don’t have enough money, skills, or education to turn your life around? Even if you’re not sure you know what it is you like to do, you can change your life and get rich doing it, says entrepreneur Duane Harden in his wise and entertaining new book, 5 Easy Steps to Financial Freedom: Do What You Love & Get Rich Doing It. Turning your passion into a profitable business is easy, fast, and fun, says Harden, and you can become rich in just five easy steps. First, start by saying yes to financial freedom. Attitude is everything and as the Law of Attraction states, what you put out into the universe is often what you attract. If you imagine yourself financially secure and happy, you will be. Imagining a new life for yourself is the inspiration you need to go out and do the concrete things to turn your dreams into a reality. Conversationally written and filled with humorous drawings, helpful worksheets, and key tips, 5 Easy Steps to Financial Freedom also offers a 90-day action plan that includes blueprints for success that Harden himself used to build his wealth. His own journey included the purchase of numerous real-estate properties, opening a restaurant, starting a music company, and much more. Harden gives you “Life Assignments” that get you thinking and acting differently. Beware of what he calls the “crabs in a pot” mentality, where everyone is trying to pull everyone else down in order to struggle to the top. Instead, he advises, think positively. Stay away from the naysayers and feed your dream. Soon you will realize that your inner life is reflected in your outer life. Harden helps you to discover the real you, what you want, and how much money you want to be there for you now and in the future. He explains how the real difference between rich people and poor people is fear and an unwillingness to keep an open mind to new opportunities. Rich people are not afraid to take risks, and well-planned risks almost always pay off. Success, he reminds you, is your birthright and it’s your job to claim it. Review your credit and your financial house. Clean up the clutter in your life, whether it is the wrong way of thinking or a messy desk. Discover what really makes you tick because when you love what you do it’s never really work, and when passion is present the money will miraculously follow. Keep daily positive reminders taped where you can see them, or even have a vision board filled with photographs of where you want to be in life. Write your resignation letter to your boss, but don’t send it yet. Just the act of writing it puts you in the right frame of mind for moving on to something much better. “You are what you think and will become what you dream,” says Harden. You’ll learn to be a PIG (passive income generator) Farmer, which requires little work but makes you tons of money. 5 Easy Steps to Financial Freedom shows you how go from rags to riches and is understandable and easy to read. This invaluable guide will change your life!